BACKGROUND Lower limb critical ischemia is a major problem in dialysed patients. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the results of revascularization procedures, amputations and prosthetic rehabilitation in dialysed amputees. METHODS In this retrospective study we examined the charts of selected dialysis patients. Forty-eight patients had undergone major amputation (4.5% of the dialysis population), and ...

BACKGROUND For athletes using running-specific prostheses (RSPs), current Paralympic guidelines for track events are generally based on level of amputation, not side of amputation. Although 200- and 400-m sprint races are performed in a counterclockwise direction, little is known about the effects of amputation side on race performance in athletes with unilateral lower limb amputation. The stud...

PURPOSE To review the existing literature on the social and psychological challenges faced by people with an amputation and to provide a detailed analysis of the literature examining psychological adjustment to these challenges across time. METHOD Existing papers on psychological adjustment to amputation were analysed according to their results, methodology, and conclusions. RESULTS Althoug...

BACKGROUND Civilian popliteal artery injuries are associated with significant amputation rates. AIM The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with limb loss in patients with popliteal artery injuries. PATIENTS AND METHODS We performed a retrospective chart review of prospectively collected data on patients with popliteal artery injuries presenting to the Trauma Centre at Groo...

BACKGROUND The level selected for amputation should generally be the lowest compatible with tissue viability, with a reasonable expectation of wound healing in patients with arterial obstructive leg and foot disease, but determining the amputation level of an ischemic lower limb remains controversial. The general consensus is that a decisive and final decision about the amputation level should ...

Analysis of upper-body accelerations is a promising and simple technique for quantitatively assessing some general features of gait such as stability, harmony, and symmetry. Despite the growing literature on elderly healthy populations and neurological patients, few studies have used accelerometry to investigate these features in subjects with lower-limb amputation. We enrolled four groups of s...

We reviewed retrospectively 22 patients (23 limb segments) with fibular hemimelia treated by amputation or limb lengthening to evaluate these methods of treatment. There were 12 boys and 10 girls, all with associated anomalies in the lower limbs. Twelve patients (13 limb segments) had early amputation and prosthetic fitting and ten had tibial lengthening using the Ilizarov technique. At the lat...

This retrospective study compares pre and post-amputation mobility and the influence of age and associated medical problems. Data from the charts of 120 male patients who underwent unilateral trans-tibial (below-knee) amputation at the Dallas Veteran's Administration Hospital between June, 1983 and October, 1991, were collected and analyzed. Mobility was assessed with a six level scale develope...

OBJECTIVE To assess trends in lower limb amputation performed in Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilities. METHODS All lower limb amputations recorded in the Patient Treatment File for 1989-1998 were analyzed using the hospital discharge as the unit of analysis. Age-specific rates were calculated using the VHA user-population as the denominator. Frequency tables and linear, logistic, a...

BACKGROUND Avoiding major (above-ankle) amputation in patients with diabetic foot ulcers is best accomplished by multidisciplinary care teams with access to infectious disease specialists. However, access to infectious disease physicians is partially influenced by geography. We assessed the effect of living in a hospital referral region with a high geographic density of infectious disease physi...